Portrait of Guy Michel Lejay and his Family - Crispijn van de Passe (II)

A detailed seventeenth-century engraving by Crispijn van de Passe (II) depicting a family portrait set within a wooded, rural environment.

This engraving by Crispijn van de Passe (II) depicts Guy Michel Lejay alongside his family within a wooded setting. The composition follows the conventions of early seventeenth-century group portraiture, where figures are arranged in a natural environment to convey status and domestic harmony. Van de Passe employs precise line work to define the textures of the subjects' clothing, from the stiff ruffs to the heavy fabric of their garments.

The figures occupy the foreground, positioned beneath large trees that frame the scene. A coat of arms hangs from a branch on the left, serving as a marker of the family's lineage. To the right, the view opens into a rural vista featuring a distant castle and rolling hills. The inclusion of animals, such as the dogs and the small rabbit in the lower right corner, adds a sense of life to the scene while adhering to the period's interest in combining portraiture with elements of the natural world.

Crispijn van de Passe (II) was part of a prolific family of engravers and printmakers based in the Netherlands. His technical approach demonstrates the meticulous control required for copperplate engraving, with cross-hatching used to create depth and shadow across the figures and the surrounding foliage. The work provides insight into the social aspirations of the era, where the depiction of a family in a private, idyllic setting functioned as a visual record of their identity and standing. The print remains a clear example of the narrative quality often found in Dutch graphic arts of the period, where every element, from the hunting dogs to the architectural details in the background, contributes to the overall characterisation of the sitters.